White Nationalist ‘Unite The Right’ Rally Could Be ‘Turning Point’ For Movement
Graphic by Angelie Zaslavsky
By Sam Kestenbaum August 8, 2017
The city of Charlottesville, Va., is preparing for an influx of white nationalists from across the country ahead of Saturday’s “Unite the Right” rally.
In a detailed report, the Anti-Defamation League described the rally as potentially “the largest public gathering of white supremacists in at least a decade.” As many as 500 Unite the Right supporters could show up and local law enforcement estimates total crowd size could reach 4,000, which would also include counter-protesters.
Richard Spencer, a white nationalist and central figure on the “alt-right,” described the event as a “peaceful gathering of people who want to speak their mind.” His website Altright.com heralded the gathering as the “largest ethno-nationalist rally of the 21st century” and a “turning point for white identity.”
The event is organized by Jason Kessler, president and founder of the “right-wing political advocacy group” Unity and Security for America.
Those slated to attend include members of Identity Evropa, the National Socialist Movement, Vanguard America and the Traditionalist Workers Party. The ADL reports that members of various Klu Klux Klan groups will also attend. The bill for the event also includes members of what is known as the “alt-lite.”
Charlottesville mayor Mike Signer told The Washington Post that he’d rather see the rally get as little attention as possible. “I encourage everyone to ignore this ridiculous sideshow,” he said, “and to focus instead on celebrating the values of diversity and tolerance that have made Charlottesville a world-class city.”
Email Sam Kestenbaum at [email protected] and follow him on Twitter @skestenbaum
This is a moment of great uncertainty. Here’s what you can do about it.
We hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, we’d like to ask you to please support the Forward’s independent Jewish news this Passover. All donations are being matched by the Forward Board - up to $100,000.
This is a moment of great uncertainty for the news media, for the Jewish people, and for our sacred democracy. It is a time of confusion and declining trust in public institutions. An era in which we need humans to report facts, conduct investigations that hold power to account, tell stories that matter and share honest discourse on all that divides us.
With no paywall or subscriptions, the Forward is entirely supported by readers like you. Every dollar you give this Passover is invested in the future of the Forward — and telling the American Jewish story fully and fairly.
The Forward doesn’t rely on funding from institutions like governments or your local Jewish federation. There are thousands of readers like you who give us $18 or $36 or $100 each month or year.
Support our mission to tell the Jewish story fully and fairly.
